Lightning-rod.



A. G. HOOVENS.

LlGHTNlNG ROD.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1. 1915.

1,170,260. Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AIASA G. HOOVENS, OF GOSHEN, INDIANA.

LIGHTNING-ROD.

Application filed April 1, 1915.

To all whom it may concem Be it known that I, AMASA G. HOOVENS, a citizen of the United States, resident of Goshen, in the county of Elkhart and State of Indiana, have made acertain new and useful Invention in Lightning-Bods; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a side view of the invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view on a larger scale, partly broken away. Fig. 3 is an edge view of the invention. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4, Fig. 2.

The object of this invention is to provide an improvement in lightning rods, whereby the construction of the point portion to the line conductor is made integral with the point portion, and is strong and of easy application, the construction involving only the point portion and means for compressing it upon the line conductor, for better reduction and distribution of the electrical current.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combinations of parts, as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings the numeral 2 represents a portion of a line conductor, usually a cable or woven wire rod, and 3 the point portion of the rod. The position of the line conductor may be horizontal or inclined. The point portion is formed from a tubular piece of copper, the lower end of which is reversely bent in hook form to pass under the cable or line conductor. The copper tube is reduced to a point at its upper end, as indicated at 4, and extends downward sheer to the line conductor, its lower end portion being inclined in a reverse curve, to provide an integral branch 5 of a forked foot portion 6, the other branch of which is provided by a short section of copper tube, as at 7. At the point of divergence the attached branch is secured to the point portion by brazing, the upper end or vertical portion of the tube 7 having its inner wall bent in concave form, toward Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

Serial No. 18,624.

the convex outer wall, to form a double-wall concave bearing 8, which is designed to engage the convex wall of the point section at 9. Holes are provided for rivets 12, to secure the bearing 8 to the main tube. This joint may also be brazed. The lower end portions of these fork branches are bent downward and flattened in such wise as to bring their walls together, to form broad hook bearings 14, the walls 16 of which are substantially parallel. Holes are made through the vertical walls of these hook bearings, for the insertion of bolts 18, whereby the hook bearings, after they have been passed under the line conductor, are not only connected to the line conductor but are forcibly compressed thereon. The inclination of the branches of the lower end of the point portion may be easily changed to accommodate an inclined conductor, but usually the point section is attached to a horizontal portion of such conductor, and the branches have similar divergent inclination. These branches are designed to be straight between their reversely curved ends, and form strong and reliable braces for the point portion.

I claim.

In a lightning rod, a vertical point tube having a lower inclined integral brace portion provided with a lower integral vertical reversely curved flattened upturned hookform end, said brace portion and said hookform end having alined perforations, and an inclined tubular brace divergent from said integral brace portion and having a similar integral lower vertical reverselycurved flattened upturned hook-form end and a vertical concave upper end engaging the point tube above the brace portion thereof, said brace portion and the hook-form end thereof being provided with alined perforations, and the upper end of said brace and the point tube having also alined perforations, and horizontal securing bolts engaging said alined perforations.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

AMASA G. HOOVENS.

Witnesses:

LOU W. VAIL, ZULA LEHMAN.

Copies of this patent my be obtained for the cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

